Empathy Belly
by Cosmic Lucky
Summary: There were leftover party balloons, so Yoko thought it would be a fairly good idea to play a little prank on Kamina. Ridiculously AU fluff ensues.


Yoko poked her head around the corner of the free-standing kitchen wall; she now beheld a full view of the living room of the loft she shared with Kamina.

She rested mischievous yellow eyes on her long-time boyfriend, who was currently in the process of doing one-armed push-ups... while reading an encyclopedia.

It was too perfect – she and Kamina had been all too open to hosting the birthday party of one of the kids that went to the school she taught at.

The kid's parents were on a two-week vacation in some obscure location (they were apparently hippies that didn't like being tied down to societal norms, or simply making their kid feel loved, for that matter), so Yoko and Kamina had been playing Mommy and Daddy to the kid while his parents were away.

Yoko's jaw had dropped when little Garth had informed her that his birthday was coming up on Saturday.

And so, the overly-cute children's birthday party, complete with ice cream, cake, and Kami the Clown, was born. It was so cheesy that Yoko still felt her stomach turn out of post-event awkwardness, but the kids seemed to love it, and that was all that mattered.

Plus, it meant that there were leftover inflated balloons; and balloons, inflated or not, could undoubtedly bring out the childish side in anyone.

And that was why, midday, she stood with her balloon-belly pressed lightly to a wall.

At the moment, Garth was pointing at a word and asking Kamina what it meant. To Yoko's surprise, Kamina actually knew what the word meant, even if he defined it in a weird way. Yoko chose that moment to play on him what was supposed to have been a harmless joke, a cheap laugh at her partner's expense.

"Hey, Kamina," Yoko called out in a sing-song tone.

"Yes, Yoko," Kamina answered, mirroring her tone.

She could hear the subtle amusement in his reply, the kind of amusement that had been unique to his manner of speech ever since they had... Well, you know. Yoko had to admit that she was impressed that someone could continue to hold such a victory in high regard for so long.

"Guess what?" She asked, projecting some sort of nondescript excitement into her voice.

"What is it?" He questioned, managing to sound fully curious, equally excited even, even though his eyes and arm did not waver from their allotted tasks. How did he _do that?_

Without any further preamble, Yoko screeched, "I'm pregnant!" and stepped out into the living room, her arms spread wide.

Kamina froze mid-push-up, and Garth's finger remained suspended in mid-air above the book. They both had the same exaggerated expressions of wide-eyed shock on their faces, and their jaws hung slack.

Yoko must've harnessed some almighty kind of willpower to keep the huge barking guffaw she felt building in her throat from coming to the surface.

"No shit!" Kamina finally shouted as he jumped up, fumbling towards her.

Yoko blinked.

"Great job, Yoko!" He took her hands and gripped them tightly. A smile lit up his youthful face, and he stared straight into Yoko's stunned gaze with red orbs that showcased liquid drops of happiness for the world to see.

"I had a feeling I was potent, but damn! I can only credit such a swift process to you! When did it happen? This morning? Just wait 'till we tell Simon! Ooh, Nia'll be so happy for us!"

Yoko shook herself out of her stupor just in time. She yanked her hands out of his grip and pulled a safety pin out of the pocket of her denim shorts.

"I'M NOT PREGNANT, YOU IDIOT! THAT TAKES NINE MONTHS! IT'S A BALLOON!"

She raised the pin in the air, popped the balloon right through her shirt, and successfully burst Kamina's bubble. As flustered as she was, Yoko still couldn't help but wince slightly when the effect kinda stung her actual stomach.

"Oh," was all Kamina uttered in response. His eyes were still wide, but his face had become bright red. Probably brighter than Yoko's hair.

Kamina walked over to Garth, patted him on the back, and begun to give him a man-to-man lesson in his newfound knowledge of pregnancy with their backs to Yoko.

Yoko was suddenly overcome with guilt. Had Kamina _wanted _a child? She had never thought of that...

"Uh, Kamina?" She said awkwardly. "We can talk about this later... if you want."

Kamina stopped talking to Garth, and all she heard was a wet sniffle and a soft, vaguely affirmative whimper from his direction.

Yoko's mind was in chaos – what had she just gotten herself into?

* * *

Author's Ramblings: GARth... get it? GARth! jAJAJAJAJAJA

tHIS WAS TOO MUCH FUN TO WRITE

also, bonus points to anyone who exited the tab when I used "orbs" to describe eyes

omg Kamina really knows nothing about biology lol


End file.
